Golf bunkers may be formed by installing a liner in a hole in the earth. Sand is then used to fill the hole. The liner prevents mixing of the sand and the earth to provide an aesthetically pleasing golf bunker. Additionally, the liner prevents the erosion of sand on the steep faces of golf bunkers caused by rain, i.e., bunker washouts. The bunker washouts cause the sand to be contaminated with the clay or dirt base of the bunker, thereby requiring the sand to lose its brightness and appeal. The contaminated sand in the bunker has to be removed and replaced with fresh sand, which is a costly endeavor. Thus, liners are gaining popularity to prevent sand contamination in golf bunkers.
Rakes are used to upkeep the smooth and even surface of the sand to maintain the aesthetically pleasing appeal of the golf bunker. Existing rakes used to upkeep golf bunkers have sharp tips that tend to catch, tear and rip the golf bunker liner. This occurs even more frequently when power raking the bunker, i.e., when the golf bunker rake is attached to a motorized vehicle, such as a tractor. Once the liner has been damaged, teeth of rakes drag across the liner and bring earth up into the sand. The earth mixes with the sand resulting in sand contamination, which is the very result that the liners are used to prevent. In addition to having to remove and replace the sand, the liner has to be repaired or replace, which results in a time consuming and costly undertaking. Thus, a need exists for a golf bunker rake that does not tear the golf bunker liner during use.
Existing rakes for golf bunkers have only a single row of teeth for raking the sand of a golf bunker. The sand in the bunker often sticks together forming clumps, which takes several passes of a rake with a single row of teeth to break up and then smooth out the sand. This becomes even more difficult and time consuming when power raking the golf bunker as the rake is more difficult to control. Thus, a need exists for a golf bunker rake that more easily and quickly eliminates sand clumps when raking a golf bunker.
A need exists for improved golf bunker rakes.